Lisa Jackson's soot rules will cut down on pollution floating into Jersey: Editorial

Despite ferocious opposition from Republicans at every turn, Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has scored huge wins for clean air on her watch.

On Friday, she did it again, establishing tough soot regulations that will save lives, including here in New Jersey. Her action was historic — marking the first time the EPA has tightened the national soot standard that was first set 15 years ago.

This new air-quality standard, which takes effect in 2014, will reduce the maximum amount of soot in the air by 20 percent. And that’s a huge benefit to our state. We spend a ton of money to keep our air clean, so New Jersey already meets this standard. But it’s like pedaling against a strong head wind because our neighbors don’t.

Clouds of pollution from Pennsylvania’s smokestacks and diesel trucks continue to float across the Delaware River to hover over our skies, spreading haze along the New Jersey Turnpike. Roughly one-third of our air pollution is imported, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Run your finger over the top of your car, or along a window ledge, and you’ll see it. The soot that wipes off is actually a mixture of toxic chemicals, metals and smoke. It’s made up of microscopic particles that clump together, and breathing it in is dangerous.

These particles floating through the air are small enough that they can penetrate deep into your lungs and even your bloodstream. Every year, their unhealthy elements lead to tens of thousands of premature deaths, heart attacks and asthma attacks.

So by forcing other states to limit their soot pollution, Jackson is cleaning up Jersey’s air, too. And keeping countless people out of our emergency rooms and hospitals.

Predictably, we’re hearing the usual complaints from businesses about the costs of compliance. But now consider the upside for the public: We’ll save $4 billion to $9 billion a year in health care costs. And how can we put a price on the benefit to a kid with asthma?

In the ongoing battle for breathable air, Jackson, a New Jersey alum, has been on a roll: She’s forced an overdue cleanup of coal plants that long spewed their toxins over New Jersey and other states. She ordered automobile companies to roughly double the efficiency of their cars and trucks. And on the advice of scientists, she made a legal determination that global warming is a threat to human health, and therefore can be regulated.

Jackson’s shown us she won’t be intimidated by the pollution lobby, or Republican opponents in the House. Might she someday bring that fiery spirit to New Jersey, as a dark horse candidate for governor? Stay tuned.